Matter, movement, space, time. Matter. Space time. Mechanical motion Matter motion space and time are interconnected

Observing the surrounding world, encountering it in practical activities, a person notices that it represents an infinite number of different objects and phenomena that are qualitatively different from each other. But with all this diversity, it is found that objects and phenomena have common features that make it possible to isolate various types, classes, genera and types of these objects from a multitude. Is there a common property in the objects and phenomena of the surrounding world that is inherent in all, a single basis, a single substance.

Philosophers deal with this issue in different ways.

Idealists derive the unity of the world from consciousness, from the psychic, the ideal. Objective idealists believe that the world is based on an absolute spirit, that the world is the embodiment of a spiritual principle. Plato, for example, says: "Matter comes from God, and contains him in itself." According to Hegel, the world and nature are the product of an absolute idea, nature is "an idea in the form of other being", "immersion of a concept into appearance". Subjective idealists reduce the unity of the world to consciousness, the will of the subject.

Materialists believe that the unity of the world does not consist in its being, but in its materiality, and this latter is proved by the long development of philosophy and natural science. All natural science is permeated with attempts to prove the material unity of the world.

The most important of them:

1. Discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton about the heliocentric structure of the solar system

2. Newton's law dedicated to universal gravitation, which turned out to be common to all material bodies and their complexes, which have a rest mass.

3. The laws of conservation and transformation of energy, the cellular theory and Darwin's theory indicated the presence of general patterns in the development of nature.

4. Astrophysics, based on spectral analysis, has shown that on other planets of the solar system there are a number of chemical elements, as on Earth. This proves the general unity of cosmic bodies.

5. The periodic system of Mendeleev reflects the unity of matter, according to which the properties of chemicals and compounds depend on the values ​​of their atomic weights.

6. Laws of conservation of mass, energy, momentum, charge frequency, baryon charge, isotopic spin, strangeness, etc., common to all regions.

7. The fact of mutual transformation of elementary particles discovered by modern science, according to which any elementary particle can turn into any other, the basis of which, as physicists believe, is quarks, and quarks act as a representative of an elementary particle in their interactions.

There are a huge number of definitions of matter:

Hegel, for example, defines it as follows: “Matter is an abstraction, which as such cannot be perceived by us. One can therefore say that there is no matter at all, for it exists as something definite, concrete.

So, the philosophical definition of the concept of matter, we accept the definition of "matter is a philosophical category of objective reality, given to a person in his sensations, which is copied, photographed, displayed by our sensations, existing independently of them."

This definition of matter can be supplemented by the fact that in modern natural science it can be perceived as a kind of "dead substance", which is the opposite of the concept of life, soul and spirit. In modern physics, matter is the designation of some singular point of the field. In modern field theory, there is no mediating substance, and each force creates a "field" that propagates along the continuum and acts on any body placed in this field. Empty space itself has the only property of containing fields. According to three types of forces currently known, the fields are divided into non-gravitational (gravitational forces of heavy masses), electromagnetic (forces of attraction and repulsion of charged bodies or magnetic bodies) and fields of nuclear forces (nucleon nucleons). Since every energy is a certain mass, every mass is a certain energy, then the field is a certain mass, for example, the electromagnetic field created by an electron. Thus, field strength is the only physical reality. Matter in this case is the singularity of the field (field nodes).

Traffic- in the most general sense - a way of existence of matter, its attribute, any interaction of material bodies and objects.

One can speak about the absoluteness of motion only in relation to some point in space, which is conceived in world space in a state of rest. Actual motion is always relative, it is motion in relation to some point in space that is in relative motion or in relative rest.

Continuum- a four-dimensional coordinate system that complements A. Einstein's general theory of relativity (gravity and acceleration are equivalent) with time as the fourth coordinate (Minkowski's world). The results of observations interpreted by Einstein's theory of relativity deviate from the observations of classical mechanics and electrodynamics only at speeds close to the speed of light.

The movement is varied:

3 shape groups movements:

– in inorganic nature (movement, field interaction, chemical interactions, thermal processes, states of aggregation, sound vibrations, changes in cosmic bodies and systems)

- in wildlife (a set of life processes, metabolism, processes of reflection, self-regulation, reproduction, ecology)

- in society (public activities, higher forms of reflection, purposeful transformation of reality)

Movement types:

1. with the preservation of the qualitative state of the object (a certain set of features is preserved)

2. with a change in the qualitative state (destruction, decay, formation of a new object)

Space and time- universal forms of existence of matter, its attributes. There is no matter that does not have space-time properties, just as there is no space and time on their own, outside of matter and independently of it.

Space- is a form of existence of matter, characterizing its extension, structure, coexistence and interaction of elements in all material systems.

Time- the form of existence of matter, expressing the duration of its existence, the sequence of changing states in the change, development of all material systems.

Space and time are inextricably linked, their unity is manifested in the movement and development of matter.

General properties of space and time:

– objectivity and independence from human consciousness

– absoluteness as attributes of matter

- inseparable connection with movement

- the unity of continuous and discrete in their structure

– quantitative and qualitative infinity

Space

– metric (related to measurement)

– topological (connectivity, space symmetry)

- the extent of space - meaning the rowing and coexistence of various elements (points, segments, objects), connectivity and continuity (discontinuity is relative)

- three-dimensionality of space

- duration (sequence of existence and change of states of bodies)

– continuity is absolute (discontinuity is relative)

– one-dimensionality, asymmetry, irreversibility

Substance concept considers space and time as special entities that exist on their own, regardless of material objects. They are the arena in which objects are located and processes unfold (just as the stage exists independently of the actors and the performance, so space and time exist independently of objects and processes.

Relational concept considers space and time to be objectively independent of man and mankind forms of the existence of matter, while being inextricably linked with matter itself and its movement.

The first thing that strikes the imagination of a person when he observes the world around him is the amazing variety of objects, processes, properties and relationships.

Already the first thinkers noticed that certain properties and states of things are preserved in all transformations. This ever-preserving basis of things they called prime matter. This natural view of the origin of the entire diversity of the world from a certain fundamental principle laid the foundation for the scientific explanation of many phenomena of nature and society. In the future, the idea of ​​matter deepens and at the same time loses sensually concrete features.

Matter appeared in a new light - without color, smell, hardness, without those properties with which people are accustomed to associate the concept of the material. Based on new scientific data, new concepts were created.

From a dialectical point of view, matter is an objective reality - the cause, basis, content and carrier (substance) of everything th many th image h ia of the world . It manifests itself in countless properties. The most important of them -objectivityexistence, structurethatrnost,indestructibility, traffic,space, time, reflection. These are the attributes of matter, i.e. its universal properties, without which its existence is impossible.

Matter cannot be seen, touched or tasted at all. Matter is not one of the things that exist side by side with others, within or at the basis of them. All existing concrete material formations are matter in its various forms, types, properties and relationships.

Matter has a complex structure. It consists of elementary particles, atoms, molecules, macromolecules, planets, stars, galaxies, etc. In addition, there are different types of fields - gravitational, electromagnetic, nuclear. They bind particles of matter, allow them to interact and thus exist. All particles, regardless of their nature, have wave properties.

Matter has different levels, each of which is characterized by a special system of regularities and its carrier. Various structural formations of matter are different degrees of complexity. Each form of matter is qualitatively unique. But since complex forms of matter include lower elements as their elements, this must be taken into account in the process of studying animals and plants.

One of the attributes of matter is its indestructibility. PertoaboutnpreservedneneitherIandenergy transformationsaisayt:katoee bsprocesssno transformationsXonesiltand in the world, commontonumber of massessand the energy stays the samesm. Not a single element of matter is destroyed, does not turn into nothing, but leaves a certain effect and does not arise from nothing, but always has a certain cause. The death of a particular thing means only its transformation into another.

The world is in constant motion. Movement is varied. Dvandsameneithere is withPperson beingnIya being, matter. Bytb - hnachitbst in dvandsameneitherand, change. There are no immutable things, properties and relations in the world. Movement is uncreatable and indestructible, absolutely, universally. It manifests itself in the form of specific forms of movement. Forms and types of movement are diverse. They are connected with the levels of the structural organization of being, matter. Kawait form dvand­ andeneitherIPRandWithyidefinitelysth noseandbody - withatbsthatntion.

Peace as a moment of movement always has only a visible and relative character.

All bodies are located in different ways relative to each other. eu spacetb formtooordinationscoexistingtaboutbekts, it characterizes the position of objects next to each other(near, side, bottom above, inside, behind, in front, etc.). The order of coexistence of these objects and their states forms the structure of space.

Phenomena are characterized by the duration of existence, the sequence of stages of development. Processes are performed either simultaneously, or one earlier or later than the other; such, for example, are the relationships between day and night, winter and spring, summer and autumn. All this means that bodies exist and move in time. Time is a form of coordinatecand replacementsXia oobjects and their costoyany, it characterizes the position of objects after each other. The order of change of these objects and states forms the structure of time.

Pgrew uptranstin and time - it's allschno formsssuschnaturalaboutof matter, being. Everything in the world extends and lasts. Etcspaceand timedhave their own characteristics. The space is three-dimensional, multidirectional, reversible. Time is unidirectional, one-dimensional, irreversible.

Once upon a time there was a view according to which space was a grand receptacle where matter was placed, and time was thought of as a stream that carries everything with it and absorbs everything. The change in the physical picture of the world has changed the idea of ​​space and time. A huge contribution to the development of scientific ideas about the relationship of space and time with moving matter was made by N.I. Lobachevsky. He created non-Euclidean geometry, which is more general and includes Euclidean geometry as a special case, reflecting the spatial relationships that we perceive in everyday experience. The sum of the angles of a triangle in Lobachevsky's geometry does not remain constant and equal to 180°, but varies depending on the change in the length of its sides, and at the same time we always turn out to be less than 180°. B. Riemann created another non-Euclidean geometry. It has no parallel lines at all, and the sum of the angles of a triangle is greater than 180°. These paradoxical provisions are obvious and make sense if geometric figures are drawn not on a plane, but, for example, on the surface of a sphere. A triangle drawn on a sphere has an angle sum greater than 180°.

The great scientific discovery of the twentieth century is the theory of relativity created by A. Einstein. It establishes the connection of space and time with moving matter and with each other. There is no single “now” in the world that separates all past events and future events. Each system has its “now”, its past and future.

Space and time are conditioned by matter, as a form by its content, and each level of the movement of matter is characterized by its space-time structure.

Of course, it is impossible to enumerate all the properties of matter. After all, matter is the entire boundless totality of the material objects surrounding us, and the properties of these objects are infinitely diverse. But there are fundamental properties of matter that are inherent in all objects and phenomena. They are called attributes of matter. An attribute is a property that is inseparable from the very existence of an object, is a way of its being. If an attribute is lost, then the object itself ceases to exist. Such an inherent property of matter, a way of its existence. is movement. Whatever objects we take - planets, stars, galaxies, the Earth's crust and its deepest bowels, living organisms, molecules, atoms, electrons - they are all in constant motion, change. Movement is thus of a universal nature, as the basic mode of existence of objects, it is absolute. But from here it would be wrong to deny the existence of rest. Any movement, change is characterized by the fact that a moving, changing object also has some stability, some aspects of it are preserved. If it were not so, it would turn into something completely formless. So, atoms not only turn into each other, under certain conditions they retain relative stability, their inherent structure: the atomic nucleus, the electron shell. Movement, therefore, is inseparable from stability, rest, but rest is temporary, relative. This can be seen if we consider the state of any externally resting body. It is difficult, for example, to notice any movement in a rock hanging over an abyss. But this block of stone changes: under the influence of wind, rain, sunlight, it weathers, wears away, cracks, changes its shape. The person sitting at the table is at rest. But this peace acts only as a moment of movement, because a person moves along with the Earth, complex physiological changes take place inside him, blood circulation, respiration, thought processes. The idea that motion is universal, that it is inseparable from matter, has long been the property of materialist philosophy. However, the old (metaphysical) materialism was characterized by a narrow, limited understanding of movement. The essence of the latter was reduced only to the movement of bodies from one place to another. It is easy to see that mechanical movement is external in nature, it changes only the location of objects, and not these objects themselves. In reality, the movement of matter is not a simple mechanical movement, but all the changes that occur with material objects. This includes the transformation of one chemical substance into another, and the development of one type of living organisms into another, and the change in the social system, etc. SPACE AND TIME, philosophical categories. Space - a form of existence of material objects and processes (characterizes the structure and extent of material systems); time is a form of successive change of states of objects and processes (characterizes the duration of their existence). Space and time have an objective character, are inextricably linked with each other, are endless. Universal properties of time - duration, non-repeatability, irreversibility; the universal properties of space are extension, the unity of discontinuity and continuity. Space is a form of coordination of coexisting objects, states of matter. It lies in the fact that the objects are located outside each other (nearby, sideways, below, above, inside, behind, in front, etc.) and are in certain quantitative relationships. The order of coexistence of these objects and their states forms the structure of space. Phenomena are characterized by the duration of existence, the sequence of stages of development. Processes are performed either simultaneously, or one earlier or later than the other; such, for example, are the relationships between day and night, winter and spring, summer and autumn. All this means that bodies exist and move in time. Time is a form of coordination of changing objects and their states. It lies in the fact that each state is a sequential link in the process and is in certain quantitative relations with other states. The order of change of these objects and states forms the structure of time. Space and time are universal forms of existence, coordination of objects. The universality of these forms of being lies in the fact that they are the forms of being of all objects and processes that were, are and will be in the infinite world. Space and time have their own characteristics. Space has three dimensions: length, width and height, while time has only one - the direction from the past through the present to the future. It is inevitable, unique and irreversible. The categories of space and time act as forms of the existence of matter. There are two concepts of space and time: the substantial concept considers space and time as special entities that exist on their own, regardless of material objects (Democritus, Epicurus, Newton); relational - considers space and time as special relationships between objects and processes and do not exist outside of them (Leibniz).

Matter is everything that directly or indirectly affects the human senses and other objects. . The world around us, everything that exists around us is matter. It is identical to reality. An integral property of matter is motion. Without motion, there is no matter, and vice versa. The movement of matter is any change that occurs with material objects as a result of their interactions. Matter does not exist in a formless state - a complex hierarchical system of material objects of various scales and complexity is formed from it.

In modern natural science, three types of matter are distinguished: matter, physical field and physical vacuum.

Matter is the main type of matter that has mass . Material objects include elementary particles, atoms, molecules and numerous material systems formed from them.

Different types of motion of matter can be classified taking into account changes in the properties of material objects and their impact on the surrounding world. . Mechanical motion (relative movement of bodies), oscillatory and wave motion, distribution and change of various fields, thermal (chaotic) motion of atoms and molecules, equilibrium and non-equilibrium processes in macrosystems, phase transitions between aggregate states (melting, vaporization, etc.), radioactive decay, chemical and nuclear reactions, the development of living organisms and the biosphere, the evolution of stars, galaxies and the universe as a whole - all these are examples of the diverse types of motion of matter.

physical field- a special type of matter that provides the physical interaction of material objects and their systems . Physical fields include electromagnetic and gravitational fields, the field of nuclear forces, as well as wave (quantum) fields corresponding to various particles (for example, an electron-positron field). The source of physical fields are particles (for example, charged particles for an electromagnetic field). The physical fields created by the particles transfer the interaction between them with a finite speed. In quantum theory, interaction is determined by the exchange of field quanta between particles.

The physical vacuum is the lowest energy state of the quantum field. This term was introduced in quantum field theory to explain some microprocesses. The average number of particles - field quanta - in vacuum is equal to zero, but virtual particles can be born in it - particles in intermediate states that exist for a short time. Virtual particles affect physical processes. Particle-antiparticle pairs of different types can be born in the physical vacuum. At a sufficiently high concentration of energy, the vacuum interacts with real particles, which is confirmed by experiment. It is assumed that the universe was born from the physical vacuum, which is in an excited state.

It is customary to consider time and space as universal universal forms of existence and movement of matter. The movement of material objects and various real processes occur in space and time. The peculiarity of the natural-science concept of these concepts is that time and space can be characterized quantitatively with the help of instruments.

Time expresses the order of change of physical states and is an objective characteristic of any process or phenomenon . Time is something that can be measured with special instruments. The principle of operation of instruments for measuring time is based on various physical processes, among which the most convenient are periodic processes: the rotation of the Earth around its axis, electromagnetic radiation of excited atoms, and others. Nature has endowed a person with an amazing ability to intuitively determine time using a biological clock that counts cycles approximately equal to 24 hours. This perception of time is carried out by the brain. Many major advances in natural science are associated with the development of more accurate instruments for determining time. The standards that exist today make it possible to measure time with very high accuracy - for example, the relative error for a hydrogen time standard does not exceed 5 * 10-15. In recent decades, atomic clocks have been used as a time standard, in which the source of oscillations is not a pendulum or a quartz generator, but signals due to the quantum transition of electrons between two energy levels of an atom. These signals have very high energy and frequency stability. Today, a second is a period of time exactly equal to 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation, each of which corresponds to a transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom.

Time is always relative. From the theory of relativity it follows that at a speed close to the speed of light in vacuum, time slows down - there is relativistic time dilation, and that a strong gravitational field leads to gravitational time dilation. Under normal terrestrial conditions, such effects are extremely small.

The most important property of time is its irreversibility. The past in all details and details cannot be reproduced in real life - it is forgotten. The irreversibility of time is due to the complex interaction of many natural systems, including atoms and molecules, and is symbolically denoted arrow of time“flying” always from the past to the future. The irreversibility of real processes in thermodynamics is associated with the chaotic motion of atoms and molecules.

The concept of space is much more complex than the concept of time. Unlike one-dimensional time, real space is three-dimensional, i.e. has three dimensions. In three-dimensional space there are atoms and planetary systems, the fundamental laws of nature are fulfilled.

Space expresses the order of coexistence of physical bodies. The complete theory of space - the geometry of Euclid - was created more than 2000 years ago and is still considered a model of scientific theory.

(Additional material within)

What are motion, space and time? Are they necessary properties inherent in all objects and processes of the real world? These questions have a deep philosophical meaning.

A number of correct propositions regarding nature movements were expressed by the materialists of the pre-Marxian period. Many of them considered motion to be an essential property of matter. However, in pre-Marxist materialistic philosophy, the metaphysical view of motion as a mechanical movement of immutable bodies has not yet been overcome. At the same time, it was not clear whether the source of motion is in the matter itself or somewhere outside. To correctly answer this question, it turned out to be clearly not enough to reduce motion only to the mechanical movement of bodies in space. Lacked a dialectical view of the world.

The first breach in the metaphysical worldview was made by Kant, who gave a series of convincing scientific arguments showing that the solar system was formed from the original nebula. Thus, he put forward the idea that nature is in constant motion, and this movement is not a simple repetition of the same thing, but is a process of endless progressive development. But Kant was an idealist and could not completely overcome the metaphysical idea of ​​motion.

Hegel presented the entire natural, historical and spiritual world as a process, that is, as a continuous movement, change, transformation. He tried to reveal the source of this movement and development, seeing it in the struggle of opposites. For Hegel, contradictions are the root of all movement and vitality. But since Hegel was an idealist, when speaking about development, he left room for a supermaterial force as the first impetus and prime mover of the material world.

In order to correctly understand what movement is, it is necessary to approach its consideration from the standpoint of dialectical materialism, rejecting metaphysics and idealism. This was done by the founders of Marxist philosophy. “Movement,” wrote F. Engels, “considered in the most general sense of the word, that is, understood as a way of existence of matter, as an attribute inherent in matter, embraces all changes and processes occurring in the universe, from simple movement to thinking » .

Thus, motion in relation to matter means change at all. Any changes in material objects, whether they are changes in the physical or chemical properties of objects, changes that occur on the Sun or in outer space, in the living world or in public life - all this is movement. Wherein source of movement always and everywhere contradictions inherent in objects appear, which are characteristic of all objects and phenomena without exception. Self-propelled matter does not need a supernatural engine. Motion is the mode of existence of matter. This means that matter cannot exist outside of motion, which is therefore as objective as matter itself.

Since matter is eternal, uncreatable and indestructible, to the extent that its fundamental inalienable property - movement - is also eternal, uncreatable and indestructible. This most important philosophical position is confirmed by the law of conservation and transformation of energy, which establishes that in any material transformations, the total amount of energy always remains constant, unchanged, i.e., the amount of motion is preserved. At the same time, the movement is not destroyed not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively, since the material movement is capable of infinitely changing from one form to another. Qualitatively different forms of energy (mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic, nuclear, etc.) constantly transform into each other, and a certain amount of motion of one form always corresponds to a certain amount of motion of another form.

Motion cannot be separated from matter. The natural-science expression of the inextricable connection between matter and motion is the law of the relationship between mass and energy, which states that any material object that has mass has a certain energy corresponding to this mass. Therefore, we can say: where there is matter, there is always movement; and vice versa: where there is movement, there is always matter.

Modern bourgeois idealist philosophers and natural scientists, separating movement from matter, create "theories" about the existence of "pure" movement without matter, interpret the relationship between mass and energy as the transformation of mass into energy. But in reality, although mass is related to energy, it cannot be transformed into energy, just as matter cannot be transformed into motion. Movement, being an integral property of matter, a form of its being, is always and everywhere connected with matter, and matter is always and everywhere in motion.

The provisions of Marxist philosophy on the objectivity of movement, on the inseparability of movement and matter, show science the ways of knowing the specific properties of moving matter, the diverse phenomena of nature, and help overcome idealistic and religious delusions.

Movement is contradictory in nature. The inconsistency of the movement is manifested in the fact that its characteristics, such as variability and stability, are inextricably linked. The eternal and universal variability of the world by no means excludes moments of relative stability, relative rest, temporary states of equilibrium of a thing, object, phenomenon. Without this stability, the world would be an indistinguishable chaos.

In the world there are different types of matter (atoms, molecules, electromagnetic field, gravitational field, many phenomena of living nature, diverse social phenomena, etc.). All these types of matter are in continuous motion, which manifests itself in qualitatively different forms, depending on the qualitative specifics of this type of matter. There are the following main forms of motion of matter: mechanical, physical, chemical, biological and social.

Mechanical movement includes the spatial movement of various bodies: the movement of the smallest particles that make up atoms, the movement of atoms and molecules, the movement of large bodies, including space objects.

Physical the form of motion covers thermal and electromagnetic processes, intranuclear and intraatomic transformations, interactions of "elementary" particles, etc.

Chemical the form of movement includes the processes of connection and separation of atoms and molecules, the formation and destruction of substances occurring in inorganic and organic nature.

biological the form of movement is a variety of manifestations of life, the relationship of living organisms with each other and with inorganic nature.

Social The (social) form of movement covers the diverse processes taking place in society, including changes in the field of production, class and national relations, the processes of development of material and spiritual culture, the interaction of society and nature.

If we consider the main forms of motion of matter in the order in which they are given here, it turns out that any of them is closely connected with all others, and the basis of their mutual connection is the connection between material objects in motion. Along with this, each subsequent form of motion of matter is more complex, higher than the previous one, and the more complex form of motion develops from simpler ones and contains them in itself in a subordinate form. Each form of movement is qualitatively different from the others and irreducible to other forms of movement.

Let us trace everything that has been said on the example of the biological form of the motion of matter. This form of movement arose on our planet as a result of the natural development of physical and chemical processes, which led to the creation of conditions for the appearance of protein compounds - the material carriers of life. The emergence of life meant the emergence of a higher form of motion of matter in comparison with the mechanical, physical and chemical forms of motion.

At the same time, the biological form of movement does not reject the lower forms, but includes them in itself. So, in a living organism, numerous physical and chemical changes occur, which ensure that it receives the necessary substances and energy from the external environment.

But although the biological form of motion contains the lower forms, it is not reduced to them, it differs qualitatively from them. This qualitative specificity of the biological form of movement consists in the constant self-renewal of the chemical composition inherent in living organisms, in the exchange of substances with the environment.

Science, penetrating deeper into the secrets of nature and discovering new types of matter and different levels of its organization, expands our knowledge about the forms of motion of matter, their mutual connection and qualitative difference.

The dialectical understanding of the forms of motion of matter, their interrelationships and mutual transitions is of great ideological and methodological significance and serves as a sharp weapon in the struggle against the falsification of natural and social phenomena by bourgeois ideologists. The point is that many contemporary bourgeois philosophers and natural scientists metaphysically reduce the higher forms of motion of matter to the lower ones or extend the laws of the lower forms of motion to the higher ones. Thus, they represent biological changes as a simple sum of physical and chemical processes, arguing that the basic laws governing living matter are the laws of physics and chemistry. This smears the qualitative specificity of living nature, its fundamental difference from inorganic nature.

Analyzing the complex phenomena of social life, bourgeois scientists often mechanically transfer physical and biological concepts and laws to society. Some of these scientists, referring to the biological law of natural selection, divide the races into inferior and superior. Others argue that the doctrine of society can become an exact science only if physics and biology are extended to the field of social relations. At the same time, they reduce the laws of social phenomena to physical and biological laws, talk about "social energy", "sociological atoms", etc.

The denial of social laws by reducing them to the concepts and laws of natural science aims to obscure the class contradictions of contemporary capitalist society. "In fact, no research social phenomena, no explanation method social sciences cannot be given with the help of these concepts, - wrote V. I. Lenin. - There is nothing easier than sticking an “energetic” or “biological-sociological” label on phenomena like crises, revolutions, class struggle, etc., but there is nothing more fruitless, more scholastic, deader than this occupation. The mechanical identification of the concepts and laws of the natural and social sciences is clear evidence of the crisis in contemporary bourgeois doctrines about society.

Philosophical conclusions about the nature of movement are of fundamental importance for understanding the essence space and time, which, along with motion, are also forms of being of matter.

Speaking of space, we usually mean that an object occupies a certain place, has three dimensions: length, width, height. We characterize time as the beginning or duration of events. Philosophy is not limited to this, it considers questions about the objectivity of space and time, about their connection with moving matter.

concept space expresses the coexistence of material objects and their mutual arrangement. All material objects and phenomena have a spatial extent, shape and size. Extent as a relatively stable interaction of internally interconnected material processes is due to the properties of moving matter. Spatial connections and relationships of qualitatively different material objects are described by mathematics. The deeper the mathematical theories and mathematical apparatus are developed, the more accurately the general spatial properties of reality are reflected.

concept time expresses the sequence of alternation of material processes, their duration. Matter in any form and state has temporal properties. In order for changes in one material object to cause corresponding changes in other material objects, a certain time is needed. Time, expressed in the change and development of matter, has a direction. It flows from the past to the future and has the property irreversibility. The past cannot be changed, the past cannot be returned.

Space and time are universal forms of existence of matter, they are inherent in all its states. Any material movement takes place somewhere, in some space, and sometime, at some time.

Space and time objective. They exist independently of people's consciousness and express the totality of objective properties and relations of material objects and phenomena. Man receives signals from distant stellar worlds, studies changes that cover billions of years, studies "elementary" particles that exist in millionths of a second, and everywhere space and time act as objective forms of moving matter. Regardless of material processes, space and time cannot exist. Criticizing the idealistic and religious propositions about the existence of being outside of time and space, F. Engels noted that being outside of time is the same greatest nonsense as being outside of space. In the objective world there is nothing but moving matter, and matter cannot move otherwise than in space and time.

Pre-Marxist materialists recognized the objectivity of space and time, but remained metaphysicians in their understanding. They, like metaphysically thinking naturalists, considered space and time to be independent physical realities, independent of moving matter. At the same time, space was understood as a universal receptacle of things, like a box, and time as a duration independent of material changes. Such a representation makes it possible to characterize, with a certain accuracy, the spatial and temporal relations of large bodies (macrobodies) moving at relatively low speeds (for example, the movement of a car, aircraft, projectile, spacecraft, etc.). When science encountered speeds comparable to the speed of light (the movement of “elementary” particles), it turned out that such views and the ideas that follow from them about the invariance of the properties of space and time are clearly insufficient.

The development of science in our century confirms the position of dialectical materialism on the dependence of the properties of space and time on moving matter. As modern data of science show, the spatial and temporal properties of bodies are closely interconnected.

The mutual connection of the spatial and temporal properties of material objects begins to manifest itself noticeably at significant speeds of movement. So, for example, "elementary" particles - mesons, exist in a state of rest in millionths of a second, and if they are given a high speed, then their time of existence increases hundreds of times.

Modern science and practice refute the conjectures of idealists and churchmen about the divine creation of the world, about its limitations in space and time, and prove that space is limitless and time is infinite. infinity space understood in the sense that no matter in what direction and no matter how far we move in it, we will never be able to reach its limits. Infinity of time means that if we take any event, then before it happened, an infinite amount of time elapsed, just as after it, time will never have an end. The world is matter moving in space and time. Therefore, space and time are as eternal and infinite as matter itself.

In preparing this article, the “Elementary Course in Philosophy (for students of schools of the foundations of Marxism-Leninism)”, M., ed. "Thought", 1966